“Yeah. Her eyes are a carbon copy of yours.” The manager forced a smile onto his face as he watched his arm turning red under Julia’s grip.
Tears welled up in Julia’s eyes immediately. “It must be Rina. It has to be her! She isn’t dead! She’s still alive! Where’s that girl now, sir?” Julia’s cheeks were soaked with tears as she questioned the manager in a trembling voice.
“She left just a while ago, so she might still be in the mall,” the manager replied. Right after the manager answered her question, Julia sprinted out of the store without even bothering to take her handbag with her. She ran around in search of a girl who might be her eldest daughter. After hunting around the entire mall, she couldn’t find anyone who wore the necklace or shared the same eyes as her. Julia eventually returned to DT Jewelry with a dejected look on her face.
The manager quickly brought her a glass of warm water. “Did you find her, Mrs. Gray?”
“No,” Julia said while shaking her head.
“Don’t give up just yet. I’m sure you’ll be able to find her since she’s in Seafield.” The manager offered her some words of comfort. He wasn’t sure how Julia and the other lady Julia referred to as ‘Rina’ were related, but he assumed they were close since Julia seemed to care for Rina a lot.
“Thank you.” Julia tugged her lips to give him a smile. She pulled her card out and paid for her bracelet before she rushed back to the Gray Residence. “Honey!” Julia cried once she stepped foot into the house.
Titus hurried down from upstairs. “Didn’t you go shopping at the mall? Why are you back so soon?
“Rina’s alive, honey!” Julia cried as she looked up toward Titus, who was descending from the stairs.
Titus nearly slipped when he heard Julia’s words. “What did you say?” He grabbed onto the railing on the stairway as he met gazes with Julia.
She clasped her hands together as she repeated her words. “Rina’s alive! Our eldest daughter is still alive!”
“Nonsense.” Titus frowned as he continued to walk down the stairs. “You must have encountered some swindler. In the past, there’s been a number of them who attempted to convince us that our daughter’s alive, but they’re just saying all of that to scam our money.”
“It’s different this time. Rina had the necklace. It was this one...” Julia quickly held her necklace up. “Rina brought the daughter’s necklace and asked about it at DT Jewelry, and the store manager told me that Rina has my eyes. I have a feeling the girl that the manager saw is Rina, Titus.”
Titus was utterly dazed by her sudden statement. “How could that be possible? Rina drowned because of Henry—we all saw it with our eyes.
“We saw it happen, but didn’t the police tell us that they couldn’t find Rina’s dead body in the end? Perhaps she didn’t die after she was thrown into the river. Perhaps someone jumped in and helped her out. A girl who has my eyes and owns the daughter’s necklace showed up— how else can we explain this?” Julia clutched on her necklace as she spoke.
“Give me some time.” Titus pressed a palm against his forehead.
“Mom, Dad. What are you guys talking about?” Tina came down from upstairs and stumbled upon Julia and Titus’s flustered expressions. Tina was too curious to stop herself from asking.
Julia held onto Tina’s arm immediately. “Your sister isn’t dead, Tina. She’s alive.”
“What?” Tina froze for a moment before she widened her eyes. “Did you just say that Rina’s alive, Mom?”
“Yeah. She’s alive. She’s somewhere in Fredburg.” Julia nodded excitedly.
Tina lowered her gaze as a threatening look filled her eyes. I can’t believe it. Rina’s not dead.
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